Starting systems for internal combustion engines have existed for over one hundred years. Some internal combustion engines are started by simply hand rotation of the rotating component. Early automobiles had a mechanical starting system including a starting crank that was rotated by the operator of the car in order to start the engine. Electrical starting systems have included a physical engaging lever or pedal in which the act of engaging the starting gear also activated an electrical circuit to supply power to rotate the electrical motor thereby rotating the engine at sufficient speed to start the internal combustion engine.
In order to improve the security of the vehicle and prevent theft a key system was developed requiring the operator to have a key that would match the lock prior to the use of the system that would start the internal combustion engine.
In a typical starting system the key is placed into an ignition position, which causes battery voltage to be supplied to an ignition relay coil from the key switch, which energizes the coil to provide battery voltage to the ignition system. As the key is turned to the start position, battery voltage is supplied to the starter relay coil, which energizes the coil and provides battery voltage to the engine starter. The key switch is a single point failure for turning on ignition power, cranking over the engine and for continued supply of ignition power to the machine. The circuit provides no system diagnostics or feedback when it fails, which can create excessive downtime for the machine. If the machine is running and the key switch fails, ignition power is removed and the machine will be shut down.
What is needed in the art is a starting system that reduces down time and is more efficient and less expensive to manufacture.